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Applying for jobs and getting nowhere can be frustrating, to say the least. You know you'd be able to sell yourself if you could just get in for an interview and meet the right people. So, let's review some tips to help you get in front of HR and asked in for an interview.

Your resume part 1: Make sure your resume is portal friendly. When applying online, you are most likely sending your resume through a portal and uploading it to a company's database. Creating a resume in a table, with lines, columns, and colorful text boxes will often create problems for the system's parsing tool. The program is searching for specific fields and keywords, and with all that extra formatting it doesn't know what information to pull. Avoid using templates and type the document from scratch. You can use bold and italics as needed, but anything more may end up doing you more harm than good.

Your resume part 2: Craft your resume for Human Resources. Recruiters and talent acquisitions professional are trained to look at resumes quickly to screen out unqualified applicants. Even if you aren't applying via a portal and are emailing your resume direct, you want to clean up that formatting and make it easy to read. In addition, make sure there are no typos or grammatical errors, and that it is full of keywords that match the job description.

Apply for the right job: Whether you are applying online, via email or handing a hard copy of your resume to an actual person, your background should somehow relate to the job opening. Look at the qualifications and make sure you fall within the range of years of experience, and meet the rest of the criteria. Apply for roles that would be a good next step in your career, and tailor your resume for that next step. Highlight responsibilities on your resume that would easily translate into that next role. Show that, given your experience, you are capable of handling the tasks at hand. (Note: if you are making a career change, set reasonable expectations. You may need to work your way up to get where you want to be.)

Network: Attend networking events to meet new people, use your connections or reach out to a recruiter. It always, always helps to know someone on the inside! If you can be referred by someone, instead of applying to a 'black hole' online you will definitely increase your chances of landing an interview.

Take a look a Fanning's current job openings. Is there anything matching your background and resume? Reach out to us today!